Historic railroad and mining town attacked by Pancho Villa in 1916. In 1916, the town contained a small military camp called Camp Columbus. After Villa attacked it was called Camp Furlong. The camp was under the command of General Blackjack Pershing, who led a campaign into Mexico to hunt down Pancho Villa for 11 months. He was unsuccessful, but his foray became known as the first time for the United States that mechanized vehicles were used in warfare. Columbus is known for the first military airstrip. See here for more information:
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pancho_Villa_Expedition
